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The Health Impacts of Pesticide Use on Sugarcane Farmers in FijiDepartment of Economics, Bloomsburg University, Pennsylvania, USA A survey conducted among sugarcane farmers in Fiji found significant differences in the incidence of chronic illness and disease between users of pesticides and a non-user control group. Though average production of sugarcane was markedly higher among pesticide users, average annual medical expenditures were also significantly higher. Advanced technological methods including chemical pesticides require a system of institutional support to provide, inter alia, information for an effective transition from traditional to modern agricultural practices. Without that support the ad hoc application of technology may result in inefficiency and, in the case of pesticides, increased health risks among the farm population. Besides practical handling and application advice farmers require information describing the chronic health impacts of pesticide exposure to allow their weighing of the full costs of pesticide use against the production benefits.
Key Words: Farmer health Pesticides Sugarcane Fiji Pacific agriculture
Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, Vol. 11, No. 2,
82-88 (1999) | ||